The present invention relates to the identification of various tools such as socket wrenches, end wrenches, box wrenches and "Allen" wrenches as well as various cutting tools such as drill bits.
The usual and customary manner of marking such tools consists of imprinting the identifying characters on the surface of the tool or by stamping a heavy imprintation of the identifying markings into the surface so as to provide a permanent marking for permanent identification.
Although the usual and customary method set forth above has been employed in industry for many years, certain problems persist and interfere with optimum results. For example, the fractional size markings on a socket, in normal use, becomes covered with grease at the same location where the marking was placed. The user must now stop working and wipe away the grease and read the marking to determine the size of the socket. The same problem arises in the use of all other types of wrenches as well. Some open end wrenches are marked only on one side making it necessary for a user to flip the wrench over to find the size markings or to turn the wrench around in such a manner that will bring the markings to a proper upright position so that the markings are readily legible.
A similar problem arises with the use of drill bits. The size markings of drill bits are usually marked on the lower shank of the drill bit. The drill bit is held by a chuck having gripping jaws. It is very common for the drill bit to become stuck in the material being drilled and for the chuck Jaws to continue turning while gripping the surface of the drill bit shank with the consequence that the size markings are removed from the shank of the drill bit.
The present invention provides a means to reduce or eliminate these common problems. The present invention uses a novel method of tool identification by using a color coded series of grooves that allow an instant identification of tool size. The grooves extend completely around the circumference of the tool and reduce substantially the likelihood that the colors will be completely obscured by dirt or grease. The grooves are cut deep enough in the surface of the tool and the color material is set deep enough within the grooves, to prevent contact with other objects of the color material and avoid the wearing away or chipping of the color 1 material. In this manner, the color coding becomes a permanent part of the tool.
The comparatively deep recessing of the color material also reduces the possibility of obliteration by the slipping of chuck jaws and thereby provides a relatively permanent identification marking of the drill bit.
The present invention provides a range of ten colors. The colors are actually equivalents for all ten integers from which all numbers and even fractions are composed. They are thus used to indicate fractional inch sizes and also metric sizes, when utilized in combination with easy-to-understand spacing and band width configurations.
Although the use of color coding has been used and well known in the electronic industry for the coding of electrical resistors and capacitors, and also in the manufacture of color coded shotgun shells, the use of the system provided by the present invention represents a novel departure from the prior art in the field of common hand tools and drill bits.
The usefulness and novelty of the present invention will become even more apparent in the text of the detailed description that follows.